Serenity Kids, a baby food company on a mission to provide quality nutrient-dense foods from the first bite, support regenerative agriculture and help enable small American family farms to succeed, has closed a $1.5 million funding round led by Wild Ventures. The investment will support the operations, inventory, research, and development, and extend the national presence for the high-fat, low-sugar baby food company.
Wild Ventures’ founder and general partner John Durant will join the company’s advisory board. Additional investors in the round include Whole30 founder Melissa Hartwig Urban; Wellness Mama founder Katie Wells; Vani Hari the Food Babe; celebrity nutritionist Kelly LeVeque; neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter; Thrive Market founders Nick Green, Gunnar Lovelace and Sasha Siddhartha; and more. Thrive Market Ventures, the in-house investment vehicle of online retailer Thrive Market, also backed the company.
The investment builds on an exceptional year for Serenity Kids, which has only been to market since August 2018, yet recently launched nationwide in Whole Foods, doubled its team, and brought eight SKUs to market, including a pouched baby foods with grass fed beef and wild caught Alaskan Salmon. The brand also is launching in nearly 80 Hy-Vee grocery stores in August.
“We’re so pleased to have found a partner that fully believes and lives our mission,” said Serenity Kids CEO and Co-Founder Serenity Carr. “Support from Wild Ventures will allow us to make even more impact in improving how our babies eat, and ultimately help provide a healthier nutritional foundation for the kids and adults they will become.”
Serenity Kids supports regenerative and ethical farming techniques by only sourcing American-grown organic vegetables and GAP-certified meat from small family farms in the U.S. Ingredients are free of any antibiotics, added hormones, pesticides, fillers, GMOs, and the brand extends its commitment to supporting ethical farming by giving a portion of its profits to the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund. The pouches are also recyclable for free via a partnership with TerraCycle.
Shelf-stable for 18-months and designed for infants over six months old, all recipes are pediatrician-recommended with nutritional formulations created under the guidance of Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD and founder of The Paleo Mom. Dr. Ballantyne also sits on the brand’s advisory board, which also includes wellness and food industry leaders Taylor Collins, CEO of EPIC Provisions, Sam Elick, CEO of BrainJuice, and Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution. Currently available in more than 700 retail stores including Whole Foods, Lassen's, MOM’s Organic Market, King’s, DeCicco & Sons and online via Amazon, Thrive Market and One Stop Paleo Shop, Serenity Kids aims to eventually be everywhere baby food is sold. For more information, visit www.myserenitykids.com or www.wildventures.vc.
Latest from Quality Assurance & Food Safety
- Multistate E. coli Outbreak Linked to Iceberg and Romaine Lettuce Blend
- FDA, USDA Seek Information About Food Date Labeling
- William Marler, Food Safety Advocate and Lawyer, Condemns Lack of Safety of U.S. Food Supply
- AFDO Infographics Illustrate State-Level Impact of FDA’s Proposed Budget Cuts
- Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium Linked to Cucumbers
- USDA Begins National Milk Testing Strategy to Address H5N1 in Dairy Herds
- USDA Announces Grain Inspection Advisory Committee Appointments
- Eagle Product Inspection Highlights FA3/M Fat Analysis Machine for Meat Inspection